System and method for registgration using indicia

ABSTRACT

A system and method for registering a software license agreement utilizing user information encoded in a machine readable media is disclosed. A user installs a software program onto a processor-based system. Thereafter, the user provides user-specific information to the program which is encrypted in a machine-readable form. This encrypted user information is then sent to a owner of rights in the software program to be included in a database of registered software users.

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a divisional application of pendingApplication Ser. No. 08/480,305, entitled "SYSTEM AND METHOD FORSTORING, RETRIEVING AND AUTOMATICALLY PRINTING POSTAGE ON MAIL," filedJun. 7, 1995, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,666,284, itself a continuation-in-partapplication of Application Ser. No. 08/263,751, entitled "SYSTEM ANDMETHOD FOR STORING, RETRIEVING AND AUTOMATICALLY PRINTING POSTAGE ONMAIL," filed Jun. 22, 1994, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,606,507, which in turnis a continuation-in-part application of Application Ser. No.08/176,716, entitled "SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR AUTOMATICALLY PRINTINGPOSTAGE ON MAIL," filed Jan. 3, 1994, now issued as U. S. Pat. No.5,510,992.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates, in general to a portable postage storage devicethat can be coupled to processor-based systems to receive and retrievean amount of authorized postage. More specifically, the inventionrelates to a system and method for a user to automatically calculate thenecessary postage for an item of mail and print a postage meter stampfor the calculated amount, along with other encrypted information, on apiece of mail or postage label under the control of a word processingprogram.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Presently, it is common for individuals or businesses to have residingwithin their offices a postage meter rented from a commercial businesssuch, for example, Pitney Bowes. This arrangement is very convenient,since letters may be addressed, postage applied, and mailed directlyfrom the office without requiring an employee to physically visit theU.S. Post Office and wait in line in order to apply postage to what isoften a quite significant volume of outgoing mail, or to manually applystamps to each piece of mail in which case mail is slower because it hasto go through a postage cancelling machine.

Quite naturally, postage meters were developed to relieve the manualapplication of stamps on mail and to automate the above process.Nevertheless, a postage meter residing within an office is not all thatconvenient and efficient as it may first seem to be. First, a postagemeter may not be purchased, but must be rented. The rental fees aloneare typically over twenty dollars per month. For a small business, thiscan be quite an expense to incur year after year. Second, a postagemeter must be adjusted, serviced and replenished manually; e.g., eachday the date must be adjusted manually, periodically the stamp pad mustbe re-inked, and when the amount of postage programmed within thepostage meter has expired the postage in the meter must be replenished.To be replenished, a postage meter must be manually unplugged, placedinto a special case (the meter is of a significant weight), and anemployee must visit a U.S. Post Office to have the meter reprogrammedwith additional postage. Upon arrival at the U.S. Post Office, a tellermust cut the seal, replenish the meter with a desired amount of postage,and reseal the meter before returning it to the employee. The meter mustthen be returned to the office and powered up.

A slightly more expensive meter (rental of approximately $30.00 more)works in the following manner: 1) a user sets up an account with PitneyBowes, 2) 7 to 10 days before a user requires any postage, the userdeposits with the meter owner the amount of postage required, 3) theuser then calls the owner (7 to 10 days later) and they issueinstructions as to the manual pushing of a variety of buttons on themeter (programming) which will replenish the postage amount on themeter. Nonetheless, the meter must be taken to the post office every 6months.

Thus, in addition to the monthly rent, the servicing and replenishing ofthe meter requires the time and expense of at least one employee to takethe meter to the U.S. Post Office to have it replenished. Of course,this procedure results in down-time wherein the postage meter is notavailable to the business for the application of postage to outgoingmail. In addition, because of the monthly rent and the size of thesedevices, it is generally not practical for businesses to have more thanone postage meter to alleviate this down-time.

As previously mentioned, the alternative to a business, especially asmall business, is to forego the advantages of a postage meter and tobuy sheets, or books, of stamps. Without a doubt, this is not asufficient solution. Since a variety of denominations of stamps aregenerally required, applying two 29¢ stamps to a letter requiring only40¢, will begin to add up over time. Additionally, it is difficult for abusiness to keep track of stamp inventories and stamps are subject topilferage and degeneration from faulty handling. Moreover, increases inthe postal rate (which seem to occur every three years) and therequirement for variable amounts of postage for international mail,makes the purchase of stamps even more inefficient and uneconomical.

Because of different postage zones, different classes of mail, differentpostage required by international mail and the inefficiency ofmaintaining stamps within an office, it is important to have anautomatic postage system, such as the aforementioned inefficient andrelatively expensive postage meter. Accordingly, there is a need in theart for a system and method that provides the automatic placement ofpostage on mail at locations other than a U.S. Post Office, while notrequiring the use of a traditional postage meter.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Thus, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide asystem and method for automatically providing for the placement ofpostage on mail outside of the environment of the U.S. Post Office,without requiring the use of a conventional postage meter.

In the attainment of the primary object, the present invention isembodied within a processor-based system located at a business' offices.A means is provided for purchasing a desired amount of postage at a U.S.Post Office and for storing this purchased amount within a postagestorage device. Thereafter, a user may invoke the processor-based systemto access the postage storage device and retrieve a portion of thestored amount of postage for subsequent printing on an envelope, alabel, or a letter via a printer coupled to the processor-based systemin a form similar to that employed by a conventional postage meter.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the processor-basedsystem is a personal computer ("PC") located within a business' office.The PC will store a program, hereinafter referred to as the "E-STAMP"program, which requests input from the user on the amount of desiredpostage and subsequently prints on an envelope, a letter or a labelthrough a printer, or a special purpose label-maker, coupled to the PCthe desired amount of postage. The desired amount of postage is printedas a meter stamp and may contain encrypted information for securitypurposes. The E-STAMP program interfaces with the user through thedisplay screen and the keyboard, or mouse, of the PC.

In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, a touch memoryutility ("TMU") button, manufactured by, for example, DallasSemiconductor, Dallas, Tex., is utilized for transferring the purchasedamount of postage from the U.S. Post Office to the processor basedsystem at the user's office. Typically, a user will physically take theTMU button to (or purchase from) a U.S. Post Office location, that postoffice having a system complementary to the one installed on thecustomer's PC. A postal worker will interface the TMU button with thesystem residing at the post office in order to replenish the amount ofpostage programmed within the button in an amount requested andpurchased by the customer. The user may also call a number (post office)and have the post office transfer the required amount of postage bymodem. The post office may also elect to sell disposable TMU buttonspre-loaded in various denominations.

The customer will then physically carry the button back to theprocessor-based system, couple the button to a corresponding receivingapparatus coupled to the processor-based system so that portions of thestored postage may be downloaded to the E-STAMP program upon a requestby the customer. Upon invocation of the E-STAMP program by the customer,the program will inform the customer of the newly obtained amount ofpostage via the display screen.

In yet another preferred embodiment of the present invention, thedisplay screen coupled to the processor-based system employs a "windows"type display for interfacing with the user. Through the display screen,the E-STAMP program will request a password from the user and the amountof postage the user wishes to apply to a piece of outgoing mail orcorresponding label for subsequent application to a package or envelope.The user will enter the desired amount of postage, the program willretrieve this postage stored within the TMU button,and the E-STAMPprogram will print a meter stamp through a coupled printing device ontothe outgoing mail or label.

In still yet another preferred embodiment of the present invention, theE-STAMP program may be coupled to a word processing program residingwithin the processor-based system. As a result, the application of themeter stamp may be made in conjunction with the word processing program,which has the capability to print envelopes, separately or inconjunction with the printing of a corresponding letter produced by theword processing program.

Furthermore, the E-STAMP program may also be programmed to print theaddress, return address and meter stamp on correspondence. Thiscorrespondence can then be placed in envelopes with cutouts or glassinepaper at the appropriate areas so that the address, return addressand/or meter stamp can be visualized through the envelope.

In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, theaforementioned TMU buttons are specially manufactured by DallasSemiconductor for use in conjunction with E-STAMP programs, i.e., uniqueserial numbers specific to the E-STAMP program are embedded within eachTMU button. These serial numbers are then provided to the U.S. postoffice for programming into their corresponding E-STAMP MAKER programand system. Thus, a form of security is provided since only the TMUbuttons specially manufactured for use with the E-STAMP program are ableto receive or retrieve data pertaining to postage amounts, as previouslydescribed.

Additionally, a special password could be dedicated for use with theE-STAMP program so that access is only provided to users entering thecorrect password. As a result of the aforementioned, the U.S. PostOffice can be assured that only authorized users are able to obtainpostage replenishment, and that users are unable to replenish theirpostage within the E-STAMP program or the TMU button without cooperationfrom the U.S. Post Office. The aforementioned serial numbers andpasswords may also allow a user and the U.S. Post Office to trackpostage used by every company, department, employee, etc. Furthermore,other software programs may also be configured to access the E-STAMPprogram so that spread sheets and/or graphs may be produced providingstatistics on postage use within a business.

Furthermore, the E-STAMP program can be used to encode a variety ofinformation within the postage meter stamp using symbol technology. Suchinformation would be machine readable and can be used to identify meterstamp forgeries.

In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the E-STAMPprogram is able to automatically calculate the correct postage to placeon a letter, parcel or label as a function of the class, zone and weightof the particular item to be mailed. One embodiment of the presentinvention includes a balance coupled to the processor-based system sothat mail can be placed on the balance and the weight of the mailautomatically entered into the E-STAMP program for calculating thecorrect postage for that mail.

The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technicaladvantages of the present invention in order that the detaileddescription of the invention that follows may be better understood.Additional features and advantages of the invention will be describedhereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the invention. Itshould be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conceptionand the specific embodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a basisfor modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the samepurposes of the present invention. It should also be realized by thoseskilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not depart fromthe spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appendedclaims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the present invention, and theadvantages thereof, reference is now made to the following descriptionstaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1A illustrates a processor-based system for implementation of thepresent invention;

FIG. 1B illustrates several embodiments of the postage storage device;

FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of user instructions and screen promptsutilized by the present invention to interface with a user wheninstalling the program on the processor-based system for implementationof the present invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of a user registration form;

FIGS. 4A-4B illustrates a display screen utilized by the presentinvention to interface with a U.S. Post Office employee whenreplenishing postage within the present invention;

FIG. 5 illustrates a flow diagram of the replenishing process;

FIG. 6 illustrates a preferred embodiment of the security techniquesutilized within the present invention;

FIG. 7 illustrates a flow diagram of the operation of the presentinvention within a processor-based system;

FIG. 8 illustrates a display interface provided to a user when accessingthe present invention on a processor-based system;

FIG. 9 illustrates an envelope used to display the postage meter stampprinted on a letter; and

FIG. 10 shows the interrelationship of the data base for registeringmemories assigned to users and the use of the data base for verificationpurposes.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides for a portable postage storage device,described in more detail below, that can be coupled to a processor-basedsystem at both the customer's site and at the U.S. Post Office.Throughout the remainder of this description, reference is made to theU.S. Post Office. Note, however, that the present invention may beimplemented within any country and with respect to any postal system.

The present invention will allow an individual to purchase a desiredamount of postage at a U.S. Post Office, such postage being storedwithin a postage storage device. The user may then invoke aprocessor-based system to access and retrieve a portion of the storedamount of postage via a program stored on a processor-based system, suchprogram hereinafter referred to as the "E-STAMP" program. The E-STAMPprogram requests input from the user on the weight of the item to bemailed, the addressee's address, etc. The E-STAMP program will utilizethe information that was entered to calculate the amount of desiredpostage for an item to be mailed and print a meter stamp on an envelope,label or letter through a printer or special purpose label maker coupledto the processor-based system.

The postage storage device can also be coupled to a processor-basedsystem located at the U.S. Post Office. Particular post office siteswill have installed a system complimentary to the E-STAMP systeminstalled on the customer's PC. The program installed at the U.S. PostOffice, hereinafter referred to as the "E-STAMP MAKER" will allow apostal worker to interface the postage storage device with theprocessor-base system residing at the post office in order to replenishthe amount of postage programmed within the postage storage device in anamount requested and purchased by the customer.

Referring to FIG. 1, there is illustrated a processor-based system 10utilized for implementing the present invention, specifically theaforementioned E-STAMP and E-STAMP MAKER programs. System 10 includeschassis 11 enclosing processor ("CPU") 12 and disk drive 14. Coupled toCPU 12 is display 13, keyboard 15 and mouse 16. Furthermore, system 10is adapted for coupling with a postage storage device 18, such as thepreferred embodiment touch memory utility ("TMU") button 182 illustratedin FIG. 1B. Postage storage device 18 is coupled to the processor-basedsystem 10 through a postage storage device receptor 17.

The postage storage device may be any memory device having some residualdata capability, where that memory device can provide sufficientsecurity measures to efficiently limit access to the memory of thedevice to authorized users. For example, since algorithms can be used tocontrol access to the memory device a standard "diskette" can be used ifdesired.

The preferred embodiment, TMU button 182 incorporates a small diskhaving a memory. TMU button 182 is a small, light-weight, portable,essentially non-breakable device available from Dallas Semiconductor,Dallas, Tex. A TMU button 182 may be coupled to processor-based system10 through button holder 172. In a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention a batch of TMU buttons-will be manufactured with specificallydesignated serial numbers for use solely with the present invention.However, disposable TMU buttons 182, preloaded in various denominations,could also be sold either over the counter or in existing stamp machinesat post office locations. The post office may also select to sellpre-loaded TMUs, on which the customer pays a deposit, that can beexchanged for another TMU or returned for the deposit whenever button182 is depleted of postage. All postal locations may sell pre-loadedTMUs or the post office may elect to designate particular post officelocations for selling TMUs.

An advantage of the preferred embodiment (the TMU button 182) is that aTMU button 182 is small enough and light enough that several may becarried in one hand. Furthermore, the TMU button 182 is sufficientlydurable to be sent through interoffice mail.

Additional alternative embodiments of the postage storage device 18 areillustrated in FIG. 1B. One alternative postage storage device 18 is asmart disk 188 incorporating its own electronic modules capable ofread/write operations. One embodiment of such a smart disk 188, SmartDisk™, can be obtained from Smart Disk Security Corporation, Naples,Fla. The Smart Disk™ looks like a floppy disk and fits into a typicalPC's floppy disk drive such as disk drive 178, connected eitherexternally or internally to processor-based system 10; however, SmartDisk™ has its own microprocessor that provides secure, passwordprotected storage. One advantage of the Smart Disk™ is that it canoperate in a standard PC disk drive without modification to the diskdrive or PC. Smart Disk™ provides security for stored postage with anencrypted password and the encryption algorithm.

Another type of postage storage device 18 is a smart card 186, a plasticcard embedded with a microchip. The microchip contain mathematicalformulas that encrypt computer data to secure access to that data (i.e.,postage) and verify a user's identity before allowing access to thedata. One drawback in the currently available smart cards 186 is thatthey require a magnetic card processor 176 hooked to the processor-basedsystem 10.

Still another type of postage storage device 18 is a PCMCIA card 184.PCMCIA cards are currently used on notebook computers for modularstorage and communication. Both external and internal add-on hardware174 (i.e., card slots) are available for PCs.

The postal storage device 18 may be used on a variety of processor-basedsystems 10. Processor-based systems 10 may be located in an individual'shome, at any business location, or may even be present in a post officelobby for after hour usage. In a preferred embodiment, system 10 is aPC. In an alternative embodiment, system 10 could be part of amain-frame computer or system 10 could be part of a network system.

Typically, a user will buy a postage storage device 18, containing asmall quantity of postage, with a copy of the E-STAMP program. The userwill then install the E-STAMP program on the user's processor-basedsystem 10. FIG. 2 illustrates one embodiment of user instructions andscreen prompts to be followed by the user during the installation of theE-STAMP program. The instructions and screen prompts illustrated in FIG.2 reflect the installation of the E-STAMP program in a "windows"operating environment on a PC equipped with a TMU button 182 and TMU 172holder. Of course, other means could be employed for implementing thepresent invention within a processor-based system 10.

The user installation instructions 201 inform the user how to pull upthe E-STAMP installation program. Once the installation program isinitiated, screen 203 will appear. Screen 203 instructs the user toconnect the TMU holder 172 to a serial port and to insert the TMU button182 into the holder 172. The user is then instructed to turn on aprinter 19 that has been coupled to the processor-based system 10 andcheck to see that the printer 19 is supplied with paper. Screen 203further requests that the user prepare the following information: theuser's full name and address, an identification number for the user(i.e., an employer identification number (EIN#), if the user is abusiness or organization; or a social security number (SS#), if the useris an individual), the user's zip code, the user's telephone number andthe user's fax number. The next screen, screen 205 displays the Post NMail License Agreement with its legal terms and conditions. Acceptanceof the terms and conditions set out in the license agreement isindicated when the user continues with the installation program.

Next, screen 207 will appear and display the E-STAMP serial number andTMU serial number. At this time the user-specific information requestedin screen 203 should be entered into the E-STAMP program. Once the userhas entered the user-specific information, screen 209 will appearwarning the user to carefully verify the correctness of the enteredinformation.

After verifying the information added into the E-STAMP program, screen211 will remind the user to ensure that a coupled printer 19 is on line.The user information entered into the E-STAMP program will then beincorporated into a user registration form, one embodiment of which isillustrated in FIG. 3. The E-STAMP registration form will be printed intriplicate. The user is instructed to sign and mail two copies of theregistration form to the creator of the E-STAMP program, Post N Mail,Inc. and to retain one copy of the registration form. Screen 211 alsoinforms the user that a registration card will be mailed to the user inorder that the user may access TMU refilling stations.

The E-STAMP installation program continues with screen 213, whichdescribes the progress being made in installing the E-STAMP program, andscreen 215, which informs the user when the E-STAMP program installationhas been completed.

Referring to FIG. 3, there is illustrated a preferred embodiment of theE-STAMP registration form. The registration form includes informationsuch as the TMU button serial number 31, the E-STAMP serial number 32,the date and time that the E-STAMP program was installed 33, anduser-specific information 35 (e.g., name, address, telephone and faxnumbers, and identification number), and a copy of the Post N MailLicense Agreement 38 having an identified location for the user to sign.A preferred embodiment of the E-STAMP registration form will alsocontain all of the information needed to specifically identify the TMUbutton, E-STAMP program, and registered user in an encrypted format 37.The encrypted information 37 will be in a machine-readable graphicalsecurity interface such as a standard bar code.

The standard bar code contains white and dark areas in the form of barsthat can be read by a laser scanner. The laser scanner illuminates thewhite and dark areas with a light of a certain frequency. The light isreflected back to the laser scanner in such a way as to indicate thepattern of white and black areas within the bar code, Since white areasreflect much more light than dark areas do, a perpendicular scan of thebar code will allow the scanner to translate the reflected light intothe coded information. More than 20 linear bar code languages have beendeveloped, each with its own specifications for how many bars and spacesmake up a character, how characters are to be arranged, whether thecharacters can be letters as well as numbers, and so forth. The mostwidely-used bar code is the Universal Product Code (UPC) seen oneveryday grocery items. The standard bar code currently used by the postoffice is POSTNET ZIP+4 described in Postal Service Publication number67.

More sophisticated graphical security interfaces have been developedover the last decade, such as Intermec Corporations' Code 49 andLaserlight System Inc.'s Code 16K. A major advantage of these moresophisticated graphical security interfaces is that they contain anerror-correction formula which can often recover the entire message evenif parts of the code have been torn or damaged.

A preferred embodiment of encrypted information 37 is a graphicalsecurity interface developed by Symbol Technologies of Bohemia, N.Y. andis called PDF417, a-portable data file. PDF417 is a graphical securityinterface constructed from data units called "words," each of which is17 modules long. Bars are made from filling in up to six consecutivemodules and each unit has four separate bars and four spaces. Inessence, PDF417 can stack the equivalent of up to 90 one-dimensional barcodes, each just three hundredths of an inch high. Thus, the PDF417symbology is more complicated to produce and scan than is the typicalone-dimensional bar code and allows for a denser coding of information.Because the PDF417 symbology specification includes sophisticatedprotocols for error-correction, the actual density of information ishighly variable, but can be ten times the amount of information found inU.S.P.S. PostNet bar code, per square inch. PDF417 is available fromSymbol Technologies, Inc., 116 Wilbur Place, Bohemia, N.Y. 11716 and theoperation of the PDF417 is detailed in PDF Primer obtained from them andis hereby incorporated herein by reference.

When Post N Mail, Inc. receives the signed Post N Mail License Agreementfrom the user, the encrypted information 37 can be scanned with a laserscanner so that the information contained therein can be automaticallytransferred to a registered user's database. When the encryptedinformation 37 has been transferred to the registered user's database, aregistration card containing a Post N Mail (PNM) serial number will beprinted and mailed to the registered user.

The user may then take that registration card with the user's TMU button182, or other postage storage device 18, to the post office to-beregistered with the post office. Until the TMU button 182 has beenregistered with the post office, the E-STAMP MAKER program will notrecognize TMU button 182 as being an authorized postage storage device18.

To register a TMU button 182, or other postage storage device 18, apostal worker must enter the information on the PNM registration cardinto the E-STAMP MAKER program. Such information will include the PNMserial number, EIN# number or SS#, TMU button serial number, and theaddress and telephone number of the registered user. Once all of thisinformation has been entered into the system, the E-STAMP MAKER programwill then recognize TMU button 182 and allow a postal worker toreplenish the amount of postage stored within button 182 at the requestof the user in a manner to be discussed below.

System 10 may be utilized at a customer site for permitting a user toretrieve postage stored within postage storage device 18, via theE-STAMP program, for subsequent printing as a postage meter stamp onto apiece of mail through printer 19, coupled to system 10. The utilizationof the E-STAMP program by a customer will be further described below.

Alternatively, a pair of systems 10 may be linked together throughPublic Switched Network ("PSN") 102 via modem 101 or directly throughdigital telecommunications trunks (not shown). Processor based systems10 located at different U.S. Post Offices may be linked via PSN 102 in aconventional well known manner (such as through modem 101) so thatinformation may be shared between the various post offices. Generally, acopy of the E-STAMP MAKER program will be stored within at least oneprocessor-based system at selected U.S. Post Office locations. PSNlinkage of processor-based systems 10 by the post office and thecustomer, or user, will allow the sharing of information between thevarious post offices and will allow a customer to call a number (anauthorized post office number) and have the post office transfer therequired amount of postage to a postage storage device 18 buttoninstalled at a customer site by modem.

Referring to FIG. 4A, there is illustrated a preferred embodiment of adisplay screen shown on display 13 to a U.S. Post Office employee whenaccessing the present invention on system 10. Of course, the particulardisplay aspects illustrated in FIG. 4A may be modified in any one ofnumerous ways. Also, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention,processor-based system 10 will provide for input from a user viakeyboard 15 and mouse 16. However, other various forms of inputavailable to processor-based systems may be utilized, such as a lightpen or a touch-sensitive screen (both not shown).

In the top portion of display screen 40, there is indicated an E-STAMPMAKER serial number, in this example "77014-9998-44." This serial numbermay include the zip code of the post office location, or may be selectedat random. This serial number may also include a designation of aparticular system 10 or a designation of the postal employee performingthe transaction.

In the upper left-hand corner of display screen 40 is illustrated a TMUserial number, in this example "2 128 176 32 0 0 0 175." This serialnumber represents eight bytes of information stored within TMU button182, each byte may represent any-number from 0 to 255. A TMU serialnumber is specifically assigned to and will identify a specific TMUbutton 182. Thus, display screen 40 indicates that the postal employeehas coupled an authorized TMU button 182 to a processor-based system 10which incorporates the E-STAMP MAKER program.

Typically, the first two numerals (bytes) within the TMU serial numberare assigned by the button (or memory) manufacturer. The third byte isselected by the U.S. Postal System and identifies TMU buttons 182specifically designed for the E-STAMP MAKER program, excluding other TMUbuttons 182 not designed for the E-STAMP MAKER program, such asdisposable buttons, and assisting in the exclusion of any other meansfor accessing the E-STAMP MAKER program. As a result, the presentinvention may be designed so that only authorized TMU buttons 182 mayaccess the E-STAMP MAKER program for replenishment of postage as will bediscussed below.

The remainder of the TMU serial number is basically the sequentialserial number of that particular TMU button 182 in particular.

As the E-STAMP MAKER program reads the information stored within TMUbutton 182, the TMU serial number and the information in blocks 401 and402 are displayed on display 13. The "TMU Verification" information inblock 401 shows the date and post office location where the lastaddition of postage was electronically stored within button 182. Asshown within box 401 of FIG. 4A, coupled TMU button 182 currentlycontains a postage balance of $6.72, which is most likely a portion ofthe postage that was input into button 182 at 3:18 p.m. on Oct. 30,1993, at the post office having an ID number of "77090-2765-65." It maybe observed that this serial number is different from the E-STAMP MAKERserial number shown at the upper right-hand corner of display screen 40,indicating that these numbers represent two different post officelocations, and that button 182 was formerly coupled to a processor-basedsystem 10 at post office "77090-2765-65" but is currently coupled to aprocessor-based system 10 residing at post office "77014-9998-44".

Box 401 also shows the expiration date of button 182, the user's PNMregistration number, the user's E-STAMP serial number, and a strike anddollar counter check as will be described in more detail below.

Box 402 is also displayed on screen 10 and itemizes the quantity ofpostage of designated values that has been used and subtracted from thepostage stored in button 182. For example, box 401 of FIG. 4A shows that$500.00 worth of postage was initially added to button 182 and that$6.72 worth of postage remains in button 182. This means that $493.28worth of postage has been deducted from button 182. Box 402 of FIG. 4Ashows that postage valued from $0.01 to $0.29 was subtracted from theamount of stored postage 991 times, that postage valued from $0.30-$0.40was subtracted 166 times, that postage valued from $0.41-$0.45 wassubtracted 122 times, that postage valued at $1.00-$1.99 was subtracted14 times and that postage valued at more than $3.00 was subtracted 16times.

In a manner to be discussed in detail below with respect to FIG. 5, thefirst password (i.e., BCLINTON) shown in box 403 of FIG. 4A, is enteredinto the E-STAMP MAKER software. That password will be used to generateother passwords as described below and checked against the informationstored in button 182. If the post office requests it, an extra passwordcan be included to access and start the E-STAMP MAKER program. When thecorrect password for button 182 is entered into E-STAMP MAKER (i.e.,BClinton), a string of numerals are generated as shown in block 404. Ina preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first severalnumerals within block 404 represent the current time and date. A secondstring of numerals represent the E-STAMP MAKER serial number and thepost office identification number. The remainder of the 45 bytes aregenerated randomly by the E-STAMP MAKER program. This generation ofrandom numbers is detailed below.

Thereafter, a second password is generated from the numbers within block404 through the application of an algorithm, an example of a secondpassword is illustrated in block 405. These numbers are used as a secondpassword to assist in the random generation of numerals within block406.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, fourteen of the 45bytes or numerals within block 406 represent a button usage analysis(i.e., how much of what value of postage has been used); three numerals(bytes) represent the number of strikes (or uses) that have been madeand subtracted from a starting point of 2,500,000; and four numerals(bytes) represent the dollar value of postage used and subtracted from astarting point of $2,500,000. The remainder of the numerals aregenerated randomly by the E-STAMP MAKER program.

Thereafter, another algorithm utilizes the numerals generated withinblock 406 to derive the third password displayed within block 407. Ifall is correct, the cursor will then stop within block 408 so that thepostal employee may enter a desired amount of postage in U.S. dollars asrequested by the user owning TMU button 182 currently coupled to theE-STAMP MAKER program. In a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, four bytes represent the amount of postage entered by thepostal worker, ten bytes represent user-specific information, five bytesrepresent the user's zip code, three bytes represent the originalpostage amount, three bytes represent the number of strikes (or timesthat the postal storage device has been accessed), four bytes representthe accumulated value of postage taken from the postage storage device,and three bytes represent the expiration date of button 182. Button 182may be programmed to expire at any time desired by the post office. Thepost office may desire that postage storage devices 18 expire every sixmonths in order to maintain a valid registration with updatedinformation.

None of the numbers described above, or the passwords generatedtherefrom, are displayed on the screen. However, E-STAMP MAKER utilizesinformation from button 182 to generate numerals in blocks 406 and 408to generate the usage analysis log illustrated in block 402 and toperform a counters check illustrated in block 401. The counters checkadds the number of strikes subtracted from 2,500,000 (see block 406;descending strike counter) to the number of strikes made (see block 408;ascending strike counter). If these numbers are accurate, their sumshould equal 2,500,000. A similar dollar counter check is alsoperformed. The TMU button 182 is initialized to recognize 2,500,000strikes and $2,500,000 worth of postage. Whenever a user has used2,500,000 strikes or used $2,500,000 worth of postage, the postagestorage device must be returned to the post office, or exchanged for anew one.

As shown in block 408, the user has desired to add $500.00 worth ofpostage to TMU button 182. This amount has been entered by the employee.Subsequent to entering the $500.00 amount, the postal employee willpress button 409, and then press button 410 to "write" the $500.00amount into TMU button 182 coupled to system 10.

Alternatively, a user may maintain an account with the post office or acredit card account which will be automatically charged for postalcharges printed using TMU button 182. In this situation, a set moneyvalue will not be entered into TMU button 182, but rather anauthorization to debit a particular account will be entered into TMUbutton 182.

Immediately thereafter, display screen 42, illustrated in FIG. 4B, isshown to the postal employee. Display screen 42 is similar to displayscreen 40 except for the new information within block 411 which nowshows that TMU button 182 contains $506.72 worth of postage, which wasupdated at 10:45 a.m. on Dec. 15, 1993 by the E-STAMP MAKER programlocated at post office location "77014-9998-44." Note that in thisembodiment the postage original (block 411) and usage analysis log(block 412) are re-zeroed whenever new postage is added to TMU button182.

Referring next to FIG. 5, there is illustrated a flow diagram of theaforementioned method of providing security within the presentinvention. First, in block 510, the TMU serial number is accessed by thesecurity program within the present invention. If the TMU serial numberis not one specifically assigned to the U.S. Postal Service, the processwill not proceed to step 520. In step 520, the program will write apassword provided by the creator of the program. Thereafter, at step530, the aforementioned data is produced and displayed within block 404.The random numerals will be produced as a function of the enteredpassword.

Thereafter, in step 540, a first algorithm selected by the U.S. PostalService will operate on the data within block 404 to produce a secondpassword (step 550). This second password, displayed within block 405,is used within step 560 to generate a second set of data (the numeralsdisplayed within block 406). A second algorithm within step 570,utilizes the second set of data to produce a third password (step 580).Once the above is written on the TMU button 182, the post officeemployee will be able to store postage to TMU button 182 by adding thedesired amount within block 408 (step 590). Thereafter at step 505,write button 410 is "depressed" to thereby store postage within TMUbutton 182.

Referring next to FIG. 6, there is illustrated the algorithm used withinthe present invention, and described with respect to FIG. 5. Note thatthe TMU serial number may be incorporated into the algorithm(s) to makeeach TMU button unique. For a given 8-byte password, "p1" represents thefirst byte of that password. For a given 45-byte data area, "d1"represents the first byte of that data. The "mod operator" stands forthe modulus, or remainder, of a division.

Once the required amount of postage has been transferred to the TMUbutton 182 the user may then physically carry the button back to theuser's business location and couple TMU button 182 to a processor-basedsystem 10 through button holder 172. Upon invocation of the E-STAMPprogram by the customer, the customer's processor-based system 10 canaccess the postal amount stored in TMU button 182 and down-load portionsof the stored postage to the E-STAMP program to be used for printingpostage meter stamps on pieces of mail.

Referring next to FIG. 7, there is illustrated a flow diagram of theprocess employed within processor-based system 10 configured forallowing a user to print a postage meter stamp. As previously discussed,the E-STAMP program may be a stand alone program, or it may beassociated and coupled with a word processor program. Therefore, theE-STAMP program may be started directly (step 701) or through a wordprocessor program also residing on the processor-based system 10 (step702). Thereafter, at step 703, the E-STAMP program shows display 80,illustrated and described with respect to FIG. 8, to the user.

Next, in step 704, as shown in FIG. 7, the E-STAMP program verifies theTMU serial number associated with TMU button 182 coupled toprocessor-based system 10. If TMU button 182 has not been insertedwithin its holder 172, at step 705, a message is flashed to the user toinsert TMU button 182. If the wrong TMU button, or a TMU button notprogrammed for use with the E-STAMP program, has been inserted andcoupled to system 10, a warning is flashed to the user to insert anauthorized, or valid, TMU button 182 as illustrated in box 706. Theprocess of TMU verification represented by box 704 includes severalsteps as follows:

Step 1--Serial number is verified.

Step 2--E-STAMP will match its Password 1 (BCLINTON) with the TMU'sPassword 1. If ok,

Step 3--E-STAMP will read information in Data 1 (block 530) and processit through algorithm 1.

Step 4--If the results of step 3 match Password 2, E-STAMP will proceedto Data 2 (block 560).

Step 5--E-STAMP will read information in Data 2 and process it throughalgorithm 2.

Step 6--If the results of step 5 match Password 3, E-STAMP will then beable to access Data 3 which contains postage amount and proceed to step707.

If a valid TMU button is coupled to system 10, at step 707, theinformation within TMU button 182 is read and the information isverified, for example the ascending and descending counters are addedtogether for verification and the expiry data is verified if the postalbalance is greater than $2.01. In addition, the zip code, E-STAMP serialnumber and user identification number are verified. If all of theinformation checks out the TMU button's serial number is displayed inconjunction with the E-STAMP serial number in the top right corner ofscreen 80 (see 801). The remaining postage balance residing within TMUbutton 182, is displayed within block 806.

Next, at step 708, return address box 803 is completed automatically ormanually. The address within 803 may be automatically entered from theadjoining word processor program, the address may be selected from adrop-down box (not shown), or the address may be manually input. Anyentered address may be saved within the E-STAMP program. Additionally,if a return address is not desired, it may be omitted.

Thereafter, in step 709, the contents of address box 805 are entered ina manner similar to the contents of return address 803.

Next, at step 710, the user may select the print format by the use ofbox 804. As illustrated, the postage meter stamp may be printed on alabel through printer/label maker 19, or a choice may be made to printthe postage meter stamp on an envelope inserted within printer 19, whichmay be chosen to be a standard size or a nonstandard size as selected bythe user. Note that if the postage meter stamp is to be printed on alabel, it may be desired that the return address within 803 and theaddress within box 805 not be printed.

Alternatively, the postage meter stamp and the addresses within boxes803 and 805 may all be printed on a flyer, a pamphlet, a postcard orsheet of paper. Whenever the meter stamp is printed on a letter, alongwith the addresses in boxes 803 and 805, that letter may be folded sothat the meter stamp will show through an opening or window 901, in thetop right hand corner of a specially designed envelope 900 illustratedin FIG. 9. Envelope 900 may be a standard or non-standard size with anynumber of windows as designed by the user. Typically, envelope 900 willhave a first window 901 in the top right hand corner for the printedpostage meter stamp to show through. Envelope 900 may also have otherwindows for the addressee's name and address (903) and for a returnaddress (902) to show through. Envelop 900 may have glassine paper, orother transparent covering material 904, covering the described windowssuch that the postage meter stamp and other imprinted information isprotected from inadvertent detachment and adverse conditions (such asinclement weather).

Thereafter, in step 711, the user enters the weight of the package orletter associated with the postage meter stamp in box 810. This weightmay be entered manually, or automatically through the use of scale 103coupled to processor-based system 10 in a manner well known in the art.In step 712, the user selects the class of mail from the choices shownin box 809.

At step 713, the user may select whether or not to print selected datawithin the meter stamp using a graphical security interface (seeprevious discussion of graphical security interfaces). The graphicalsecurity interface may be a standard POSTNET ZIP+4 Coding as provided inPostal Service Publication 67 and incorporated herein by reference.However, a preferred embodiment will print the postage meter stamputilizing Symbol's Portable Data File code (the PDF417 symbology) asdescribed above.

Typically the postal meter stamp may include any combination of thefollowing information: the day, the date, the postage storage deviceserial number, the E-STAMP serial number, the sender's zip code, theaddressee's zip code, the expiration date of the postage storage device,the cumulative values of the strike and dollar counters, PNMregistration number, the user's identification number, and the postoffice identification number. The postage meter stamp may contain thisencrypted information incorporated within an insignia or design, or itmay appear as a background for the postage amount printed in a visuallyrecognized form.

By printing the postal meter stamp with encrypted information within thestamp, the post office can scan the postal meter stamp to verify that anitem of mail has been posted with authorized postage and/or toautomatically sort the mail for distribution.

Furthermore, the use of the E-STAMP MAKER program in conjunction with adatabase program will allow the post office to generate recordsindicating all E-STAMP authorized postage by post office location (orzip code), post office employee, TMU serial number, etc. Thisinformation can be easily compiled to determine post office sales,market forecasts, etc.

Next, at step 714, the user may select a U.S. postal zone oralternatively elect that the particular piece of mail is to be sent toCanada, Mexico or some other international designation as depicted inbox 808.

The E-STAMP program will automatically incorporate the aforementionedentered parameters--weight, class, zone--in order to correctly calculatethe correct postage to print in conjunction with the meter stamp and todeduct from the postage amount stored within TMU button 182.

Lastly, in step 715, the E-STAMP program utilizes the input/output portsof processor-based system 10 to send to printer/label maker 19, thecorrect data pertaining to the meter stamp to be printed on an envelope,letter, card or label.

The amount of postage printed on the meter stamp is automaticallydeducted from the amount stored within TMU button 182. Other informationis also automatically updated including the usage record for thisparticular serial number of TMU button 182 and any other information,such as the addressee, the postage amount, the date, and the originaldenomination.

Note that during the selection of the various parameters within display80, the E-STAMP program may be implemented to update the postage amountdisplayed within meter display 806 as each parameter is chosen onessentially a real-time basis.

Box 802 is provided for the user to insert the location from which themail is to be sent. The date that the mail is stamped is automaticallyadjusted every day by the E-STAMP program and will prevent post-datingor pre-dating mail. This information is added within display 811 or maybe encrypted within the postage meter stamp. The location may also beutilized by the E-STAMP program to calculate the correct postage.

Message box 812 is provided to allow the user to add a message orgreeting (e.g., "Happy Holidays") to be printed next to the meter stamp.This message may be changed at any time by the user, directly or by a"merge" command in conjunction with a word processing or graphicsprogram coupled to the E-STAMP program.

The aforementioned steps may be repeated for a subsequent piece of mail,or the user may decouple TMU button 18 from system 10.

Using the E-STAMP system and method, users like lawyers, accountants,advertising agencies, etc., who bill their clients for postage will beable to keep track of postage expenses on a per client basis.

The aforementioned E-STAMP and E-STAMP MAKER programs have been shownand described with respect to a "windows" operating environment on a PC.Of course, other means could be employed for implementing the presentinvention within a processor-based system.

Referring to FIG. 10, the process begins at Step 1000 where a button isinitially created and given a small token value. The button creation ismarked by its entry into an "Initial Fill Button Inventory Database"simultaneously with its inclusion in a shrink-wrapped package ofsoftware to be shipped to users of the verification system. Once a givensoftware package, button included, has been obtained by a potentialuser, he/she must fill out an electronic user registration form whosepresent embodiment is that of a "Windows" program separate from the mainprogram but included with it on the system installation disks. Theregistration program must be executed as part of the installation of thesystem before it can be used to issue postage. The process of the userfilling out the form, sending it and the still-unregistered button backfor registration to be scanned into the user registration database isrepresented in Step 1001 and Step 1002. Also included in these steps isthe removal of the button from the Initial Fill Button InventoryDatabase now that it is a valid registered postage dispensing device. Ineffect, the button, with its unique serial number was moved from oneinventory to another. Furthermore, as will be seen in future steps, theuser registration database will be used for far more than just normaluser registration of a software product.

In Step 1003, the user has received back his/her button, now fullyregistered and therefore legal to use in postage transactions. The userinserts the secure meter (button) in its interface receptacle andinvokes the system control program on the PC. Once a letter has beenproduced, with a certain amount of postage, this amount of postage isdeducted from the amount stored in the portable processor (memory) byway of commands from E-STAMP. The postal indicia with its encrypted formof user information, postage amount, date, strike counter and otherinformation is printed on a label for sticking to an envelope oractually printed on an envelope. At this point, the mail object isentered into the mail system of the Postal Authority in Step 1004A.

In Step 1004B, the article of mail has been gathered and sent to acentral processing facility. In Step 1005, the article of mail isscanned. The scan process first decodes the postal indicia using barcode scanning technology coupled with industrial automation toward thegoal of validation of the pre-paid rights to send the article of mail.The system, in Step 1006, uses a series of criteria and checks toaccomplish this. Examples of criteria include, (but are not limitedto): 1) Just the fact that the indicia, which was encrypted in thesecure environment of the portable postage dispensing device, can bedecrypted gives a basic comfort level of validation; 2) Check againstthe central user database for validation of expiration date, expectedbalance of meter-as of now and special flags for lost or stolen portablepostage dispensers giving the capability to invalidate them much in thesame way lost or stolen credit cards can be invalidated because of theirvalidation against a central database. This check against the centraluser database for validation may utilize data contained in the postalindica as an address location in the database for the storage orretrieval of information pertaining to the authenticity of the postalindicia.

If the article of mail passes, in Step 1007A, the mail is routed to itsnormal destination. However, if the article of mail does not pass one ofthe tests, it is rejected to Step 1007B where an entry is written in anAnomaly database 1007C of items to be investigated.

The refill, Step 1008, happens asynchronously to the rest of the steps,but is included, nevertheless, because of its contribution to theoverall process loop. This is performed when a user has used most of thepre-paid credit on his/her meter (portable memory) and must return thememory to an authorized refill station, such as the Postal Authority.The preferred embodiments may include simply a host processor-basedsystem used by one authorized agent to serve walk-up clientele or anautomated process whereby postage processor buttons are refill-processedin batches with little human interaction. In either case, the userprovides his/her portable processor (memory) to the authorized agent,along with prepayment in the form of check, credit card or privateaccount. The portable processor is credited with the prepayment amountusing a PC which is executing an embodiment of the software system andempowered to accomplish this in a secured and authorized environment.Once the portable processor has been credited, it is returned to theuser, who can then continue to freely use the system to issue postageuntil the next time the portable processor must be refilled withpre-paid credits.

The other important contribution of the system is its updating of thecentral user database with information on renewed expiration date, userpre-paid balance, refilling station identification, etc. Thisinformation is invaluable in the validation Step 1006.

As discussed above, the process loop gives the benefits of accountingand auditability of pre-paid electronic postage to the adopting PostalAuthority.

While the invention has been shown to work in conjunction with a postalindicia system, it should be understood that the indicia is simply aprinted form of a data packet produced by the cooperative effort of thePC and the portable memory. The data packet contains information thatcan be used for look up purposes in the data base. Thus, the data packetcan serve to authenticate any data stream coming from the PC or can beto authenticate itself, thereby granting a user certain privileges,based upon the authentication. For example, the data packet could beassociated with airline tickets, either in printed form or in electronicform. In either event, the data packet associated with the document tobe checked is authenticated to prove the authenticity of theaccompanying data. As noted, the "other" data can be printed (the datapacket would then be printed and scanned into the system) or the "other"data could be electronic (the data packet could then be electronic andread directly).

Although the present invention and its advantages have been described indetail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions andalterations can be made herein without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for encrypting user-specific informationfor registering a software license agreement, said method comprising thesteps of:installing a software program onto a processor-based system;requesting a software user to input user specific information into saidsystem in response to a prompt; encrypting said user-specificinformation in a machine-readable format, said machine-readable formatbeing specifically adapted for use by a machine; and printing saidencrypted information on a tangible media.
 2. The method as recited inclaim 1 wherein said user-specific information is encrypted in atwo-dimensional symbology.
 3. The method as recited in claim 1 furthercomprising the step of sending said encrypted information to an owner ofrights in said software program.
 4. The method as recited in claim 1further comprising the step of scanning said encrypted information intoa database of registered software users.
 5. A system for registration ofa product, said system comprising:means for inputting user informationinto an electronic user registration form; means for identifying otherinformation available at a first processor-based system to be associatedwith said electronic user registration form; means for outputting atangible user registration form including at least a portion of saiduser information and said other information, wherein said tangible userregistration form includes a machine-readable portion having informationselected from the group consisting of said user information and saidother information, wherein said machine-readable portion is not directlyreadable by a human; means for reading information included within saidtangible user registration form; and means for including at least aportion of said information read from said tangible user registrationform in a registered user database.
 6. The system of claim 5, whereinsaid registration system registers a software product, wherein saidregistration system operates separately from said software product to beregistered.
 7. The system of claim 6, wherein said registration systemprecludes installation of said software product on said firstprocessor-based system until said tangible user registration form isgenerated.
 8. The system of claim 5, further comprising: means forencoding at least a portion of said tangible user registration form. 9.The system of claim 5, wherein said machine-readable portion is a twodimensional bar code.
 10. The system of claim 5, wherein said tangibleuser registration form also includes human readable information, whereinsaid human readable information is directly perceptible to a human. 11.The system of claim 10, wherein said human readable information includesa product license agreement and said tangible user registration formincludes a space for a user to acknowledge consent to said agreement.12. The system of claim 5, wherein said other information includesinformation selected from the group consisting of:a serial number ofsaid product; a serial number of a portable device; a date; and a time.13. The system of claim 12, wherein said portable device is adapted foruse with said product to be registered, and wherein said portable deviceserial number is utilized by said second system to add said portabledevice to a central database.
 14. The system of claim 13, furthercomprising: means for authenticating said portable device in temporalproximity to said reading means reading said information included withinsaid tangible user registration form.
 15. The system of claim 14,wherein said tangible user registration form and said portable deviceare transmitted together to an operator of a second processor-basedsystem.
 16. The system of claim 12, further comprising: means foroutputting a registration card as evidence of registering of saidproduct.
 17. The system of claim 16, wherein said registration cardcontains information to activation of said portable device.
 18. Thesystem of claim 17, wherein said activation of said portable device isfor a limited time and said portable device must be periodicallyreactivated.
 19. The system of claim 18, wherein reactivation of saidportable device requires reference to said central database.
 20. Thesystem of claim 17, wherein said portable device is adapted for storageof postage credit, and wherein said product is a postal indiciageneration computer program.
 21. A method for registration of computersoftware, said method comprising the steps of:accepting user informationinto an electronic user registration algorithm operating at least inpart on a first computer; identifying other information available atsaid first computer; outputting registration information including atleast a portion of said user information and said other information,said registration information including at least a portion of said userinformation in a machine-readable format, wherein said machine-readableformat is specifically adapted for use by a machine; inputting at leasta portion of said registration information into a second system; andincluding at least a portion of said information input into said secondsystem in a registered user database.
 22. The method of claim 21,wherein said accepting, identifying and outputting steps of saidcomputer software registration method must be completed prior toinstallation of said computer software on said first computer.
 23. Themethod of claim 21, further comprising the step of:encrypting at least aportion of said user information included in said registrationinformation.
 24. The method of claim 21, wherein said machine-readableformat is a two dimensional bar code.
 25. The method of claim 21,wherein said registration information includes human readableinformation which is adapted to be directly understandable to a human.26. The method of claim 21, wherein said other information includesinformation selected from the group consisting of:a serial number ofsaid software program; a serial number of a portable memory device; adate; and a time.
 27. The method of claim 21, wherein said otherinformation includes unique identification information of a deviceremovably coupled to said first computer, and wherein said uniqueidentification information is utilized by said second system to add saiddevice to a central database.
 28. The method of claim 27, furthercomprising the steps of:authenticating said device at said secondcomputer.
 29. The method of claim 28, further comprising the stepof:transmitting said registration information and said device togetherto an operator of said second computer.
 30. The method of claim 27,further comprising the step of:outputting confirmation information asevidence of registering said computer software.
 31. The method of claim30, wherein said confirmation information contains information toauthorize registration of said device with a third party.
 32. The methodof claim 31, wherein said device is adapted for storage of postagecredit and said third party is a postal authority, and wherein saidcomputer software is a postage related program.
 33. The method of claim27, further comprising the step of:activating said device for use as acredit value storage device, said activation being set to expire at apredetermined length of time.
 34. The method of claim 33, furthercomprising the step of:reactivating said device for use as a creditvalue storage device, said reactivating step including reference to saidcentral database.
 35. A set of computer program products each includinga computer readable medium having computer program logic recordedthereon for registration of a software program, said computer programproduct set comprising:a first computer readable storage medium having afirst computer program stored therein, said first computer programincluding:means for accepting user information into an electronic userregistration algorithm, said user information being input by a user ofsaid first computer program; means for identifying other informationavailable at said first processor-based system to be included in aprinted registration form, said other information including uniqueinformation identifying a memory device to be registered to providesecure storage of a monetary equivalent value; means for outputting saidprinted registration form including at least a portion of said userinformation and said other information, said printed registration formincluding at least a portion of said user information in amachine-readable format, wherein said machine-readable format is notdirectly readable by human viewing; a second computer readable storagemedium having a second computer program stored therein, said secondcomputer program including:means for accepting information includedwithin said printed registration form; and means for integrating atleast a portion of said accepted information in a registered userdatabase.
 36. The computer program product set of claim 35, wherein saidfirst computer program further comprises:means for encrypting at least aportion of said printed registration form.
 37. The computer programproduct set of claim 35, wherein said printed registration form alsoincludes human readable information which is adapted to be directlyunderstandable to a human.
 38. The computer program product set of claim35, wherein said memory device is transmittable along with said printedregistration form.
 39. The computer program product set of claim 38,wherein said second computer program further comprises:means foroutputting a registration acknowledgement as evidence of registering ofsaid software program.
 40. The computer program product set of claim 39,wherein said registration acknowledgement is utilized to register saidmemory device.
 41. The computer program product set of claim 40, whereinsaid monetary equivalent value is a prepaid amount of postage credit,and wherein said software program to be registered is a postage meterprogram.
 42. The computer program product set of claim 35, wherein saidunique identification information is utilized to include said memorydevice in a central database.